China blames Dalai Lama for self-immolations after Tibetan sets himself on fire in India
By Associated Press, Updated: Tuesday, March 27, 4:13 AM
BEIJING — China on Tuesday accused the Dalai Lama of being behind a self-immolation protest by a Tibetan exile in India days before a visit by the Chinese president.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei offered no evidence linking the Tibetan spiritual leader to the exile who lit himself on fire and ran shouting through a demonstration in the Indian capital, New Delhi, on Monday.
He said that the Dalai Lama and his associates have been instigating Tibetan independence and creating “disturbances” and that showed the Dalai Lama and his associates “single-handedly” planned the immolation on Monday.
“These acts aimed at achieving Tibetan independence and separatism through taking people’s lives will never possibly be successful and will be severely condemned by the international community,” Hong told reporters at a regular news briefing.
About 30 such protests have occurred over the past year in ethnic Tibetan areas of China, and a Tibetan self-immolated last year in India, where many exiles reside.
The Tibetan self-declared government-in-exile has rejected the Chinese government’s accusations and issued statements discouraging self-immolation.
“In the long-term interest of the Tibetan cause, we urge Tibetans to focus on secular and monastic education to provide the necessary human resources and the capability to strengthen and sustain our movement,” the group said in an emailed statement Tuesday. “We once again remind Tibetans to refrain from drastic actions.”
Tibetans inside China and exiles say China’s crackdown on Tibetan regions is so oppressive, those who choose such a horrific form of protest feel they have no other way to express their beliefs.
...
|
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.